Royal Historical Society of Victoria

Melbourne's Art Deco cinemas of the late 1930s
2024-08-13 18:30 - 19:30 (Australia/Melbourne) | 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC 3181, 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC, 3181, Australia
🍿Melbourne’s Art Deco cinemas of the late 1930s
As Melbourne emerged from the Depression in 1935 its citizens could again afford a night out at the pictures. The suburbs saw many new cinemas built, until it was curtailed by wartime building restrictions in 1941. Join Royce Harris of the Cinema and Theatre Historical Society (CATHS) as we explore the cinema experience of the 30s as well as take a look at the buildings themselves, which were moderne variations of the Art Deco architecture of the time.
Several of these cinemas, including the Rivoli in Camberwell and the Yarraville Sun, are still screening but you will also discover many long forgotten gems.
Bookings are essential with a gold coin for entry.

Nature and Culture: Eugene von Guérard and the landscape of Victoria’s Camperdown region
2024-08-12 18:00 - 20:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
SPECIAL GUEST LECTURE by Dr Ruth Pullin
in preparation for our Spring Bus Tour
DATE: Thursday 12 September 2024
TIME: 6.00 pm start
LOCATION A Zoom link will be sent with a reminder before the session.
COST: $15 members AGHS, $15 Friends RBG, $20 non-members
BOOKINGS: Via TryBooking link below
ENQUIRIES: LYNDA ENTWISLE – Mobile: 0466 925 370

AGM and Speaker Series - City of Protest? Melbourne and its history of dissent
2024-07-31 19:30 - 21:30 | Murrumbeena Bowls Club, 10 Blackwood Street, Carnegie, VIC, 3163, Australia
We invite members and friends of Glen Eira Historical Society to join us at our AGM followed by a presentation from Margaret Anderson FFAHS, Director Old Treasury Building, on our city’s history of protest.
Melbourne’s history of protest reaches back to the very first decade after Europeans first made their homes here. It has continued unabated ever since. In this presentation Margaret Anderson will reflect on some of the issues that have stirred Melburnians to take to the streets. From the 1840s to the present, protest has formed a part of our robust democracy.
Gold coin donation – Supper provided – Drinks purchased from the bar
Bookings – https://www.trybooking.com/CTCKU
Enquiries to: gehs@optusnet.com.au

Rare Book Week: Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute
2024-07-26 13:00 - 15:00 | Ballaarat Mechanics Institute, 117-119 Sturt St, Ballarat Central, VIC, 3350, Australia
An introduction to the Collection
Speaker: Ellen Becker
Established in central Ballarat in 1859, the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute’s Collection is of historical significance as the largest and most intact repository of material relating to Mechanics’ Institutes in Victoria, with its rare and valuable items demonstrating the tastes and interests of the inhabitants of a major Victorian regional centre. Staff from the Institute and State Library Victoria will showcase unique items from the Collection with stories to match.
Friday 26th July, 1-3pm
Presented by Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute in partnership with State Library Victoria
Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute, 117-119 Sturt Street, Ballarat Central

Click here to register
This event is part of Rare Book Week.
You can access the full program here.

Historical Society Network Leaders: Victoria-wide Conference and Networking Day, 2024
2024-07-26 09:00 - 15:15 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
The RHSV wants to bring together the leaders of the many networks of historical societies which exist across Victoria. This event will not be Zoomed as a key aim is for leaders to meet with peers from across Victoria and then to share their findings with their member societies.
COST:
The event is FREE to each leader + one-two other network members who are prepared to share their experiences and knowledge with their network afterwards AND as long as they or their historical society is a member of the RHSV. We understand that not all organisations which are members of these networks are members of the RHSV however, because we are a member-supported organisation we can only extend the free tickets and travel reimbursement to those attending who are both representing a historical society network AND that they are a member of the RHSV or of an affiliated member society of the RHSV.
For those who aren’t members there is a small fee ($20) to cover catering.
Includes all-day refreshments and lunch.TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT:
For long-distance travel and the accompanying accommodation some reimbursement by the RHSV will be available if your network cannot help support you.
Reimbursement can be up to $50 in total if the attendee resides 50-150kms from Melbourne and up to $150 in total if the attendee resides beyond 150kms.
An expense claim can be completed below. Please submit your reimbursement request AFTER the event. Once again, we can only financially assist those attendees who are both representing a historical society network AND that they are a member of the RHSV or of an affiliated member society of the RHSV.

ENQUIRIES
Bookings close on Friday 19 July.
Enquiries: HSSC Chair, Dr Rosalie Triolo FRHSV hssc@historyvictoria.org.au
BOOKINGS
below on this website page.
For emergencies on day: 03 9326 9288 or office@historyvictoria.org.au

FRIDAY 26 JULY PROGRAM

Each session invites questions and sharing of success stories, especially solutions to shared challenges
9:00am REGISTRATION tea/coffee and ‘introducing yourself to others’ activity on arrival
9:45–10.00am PROGRAM STARTAcknowledgement of Country and welcome: RHSV PresidentEmeritus Professor Richard Broome, AM, FAHA, FRHSV, FFAHSWelcome, aims of the day and housekeeping: HSSC Chair Rosalie Triolo
10.00–10:45am PRESENTATION 1: Helen Laffin and Rosalie Triolo, ‘Building capacity: Attracting and keeping community interest’
10:45–11:30am PRESENTATION 2: Graham Goulding OAM, ‘Going for grants: Helpful hints’
11:30am–11:45am MORNING TEA

11:45am–12:30pm PRESENTATION 3: Craige Proctor, ‘Requiem for the Newsletter?Does the newsletter still have a role for historical societies in the social media world?’
12:30–1:30pm LUNCH and mingling/networking
1:30–2:15pm PRESENTATION 4: Rosemary Cameron, ‘Creating engaging events’
2:15–3.00pm FORUM DISCUSSION: Participants and speakers take earlier discussions further or raise new topics for discussion by all
3.00-3.15pm ROUND UP AND CLOSE: Rosalie Triolo

ABSTRACTS and SPEAKERS
Building capacity: Attracting and keeping community interest – Helen Laffin & Rosalie TrioloHelen will share practical knowledge from her experiences in the heritage sector in relation to generating and keeping the interest of community members. Volunteers are crucial to successful operations but planning and a positive attitude are essential.
Rosalie will offer further strategies for attracting visitors, members, volunteers and leaders of diverse skillsets and cultural backgrounds. ‘Bigger picture’ thinking is necessary; only then will the stories of peoples past and present in our communities have greater chance of being understood and cared for into the future.
Helen holds a Master of Cultural Heritage, Deakin University, and is currently Heritage Collections Co-ordinator at the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. She is also part of the City of Whitehorse Arts and Culture team which oversees Schwerkolt Cottage Museum Complex and the Whitehorse Artspace. She has a strong interest in local history and collection management and has worked as staff or volunteer at many small and large collections in Melbourne including Melbourne’s Living Museum of the West, CERES Community Environment Park archives, and Coburg Historical Society.
Rosalie has enjoyed over 40 years in History education, including multiple, long-term, volunteer Victorian and national association leadership, advocacy, presentation and publication roles for which she has received many awards; has worked in general public, as well as tertiary, secondary and primary education History contexts; has taught Australian history in diverse Victorian government schools; and facilitated the development of specialist teachers of History for 25 years at Monash University.
Going for Grants: Helpful Hints – Graham Goulding
Preparing grant applications can be daunting and difficult but those few words should not deter anyone from making applications. This session will provide the helpful hints that can make a difference and will focus on what has been learnt in over forty years of writing grant applications for many organisations.
Graham is a retired teacher who has been applying for grants since the 1980s, beginning with grants to support his work in education. In retirement, he has been writing for Gippsland Immigration Park in Morwell (since 2005), the Walhalla Board of Management which looks after government properties in Walhalla (2009-21) and the Moe & District Historical Society (since 2001). The total funds obtained exceeds $250,000.
‘Requiem for the Newsletter? Does the newsletter still have a role for historical societies in the social media world?’ – Craige ProctorMany societies continue to produce regular newsletters as well as maintain an online presence to engage with members; other groups have retired the newsletter. How do and should these media differ? This presentation considers the relative merits of each and asks if the traditional newsletter still has a role. Do the digital natives among our communities expect something different these days? In migrating to online engagement, are we at risk of losing something?
Craige produced the Mortlake & District Historical Society’s newsletter for 14 years. Since 2022, he has produced the Western Victorian Association of Historical Societies newsletter, receiving and reading a great many newsletters from western Victorian societies. Craige made his first foray into managing Facebook pages for historical bodies in 2011 and presented for RHSV, 2014-17, on how societies might engage with their communities via social media. He supported several groups in developing their online presence.
Creating Engaging Events – Rosemary Cameron
Rosemary will give a very practical talk with templates of timelines, simple budgets and to-do lists. She will take participants through workshopping ideas to keep events fresh and engaging with advice on how to ramp up events from a simple talk to a conference. She will cover value-adding and making sure organisers always work within their own resources.
Rosemary has spent most of her career in theatre and literary festival management which is effectively event management. For several years she ran Tour Guides Australia, so she also understands how to create good tours. She organises a variety of RHSV events. She is the former director of the Melbourne Writers Festival which had some 400+ events over 10 days (2005–09) and the Brisbane Writers Festival (2003-05).

NETWORKS OF HISTORICAL SOCIETIES
This is a list of the networks of historical societies which we know exist across Victoria. There may be more. And there may be people interested in setting up networks for areas not currently covered. Please contact the RHSV if your society is part of a network NOT listed below or your society is interested in forming a new network to cover currently unrepresented areas. (office@historyvictoria.org.au | 9326 9288)

Western Victorian Association of Historical Societies Midlands Zone
Western Victorian Association of Historical Societies Southern Zone
Western Victorian Association of Historical Societies Wimmera Zone
Eastern Regional Association of Historical Societies (eastern suburbs of Melbourne including Shires of Nillumbik, Yarra Ranges and Murrundindi, Cities of Monash, Whitehorse, Boroondara, Maroondah, Knox, Greater Dandenong & Banyule)
Heritage Network East Gippsland
South Gippsland Historical Network
Wellington Shire Heritage Network
Gippsland Association of Affiliated Historical Societies (GAAHS)
Gippsland Cataloguing Network
Golden Plains History and Heritage Network
Latrobe Combined History Groups
Australian Alpine and Snowsports Historical Societies (Falls Creek & Mt Buller)
Mornington Peninsula Local History Network (Shire of Mornington Peninsula, City of Frankston)
South Eastern Historical Association (SE Melbourne: Cities of Greater Dandenong, Casey, Bayside, Kingston and Frankston; Shires of Mornington Peninsula, Bass Coast and Cardinia)
South Metro Network (Cities of Stonnington, Bayside, Glen Eira, Port Phillip, Monash and Kingston)
Central Highlands Historical Association (City of Ballarat, Rural City of Ararat, Shires of Pyrenees, Heburn, Moorabool, Golden Plains, Central Goldfields and Mount Alexander)
Geelong & District Historical Association
Boroondara Historical Societies Association
Yarra Plenty Heritage Group (Cities of Banyule and Whittlesea, Shire of Nillumbik)
Yarra Ranges History and Heritage Group (Shires of Yarra Ranges and Cardinia, Cities of Greater Dandenong and Banyule)
Western Metropolitan Group of Historical Societies (Cities of Wyndham, Maribyrnong, Hobsons Bay, Brimbank, Melton, Whittlesea, Moonee Valley and Hume)
Surf Coast Shire Heritage Committee

Expense Reimbursement form
This form is for claiming reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses for the Network Meeting on 26 July 2024

Name

First

Last

Address

Street Address

Address Line 2

City

State / Province / Region

ZIP / Postal Code

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Description of reimbursement. Please be as detailed as possible "petrol for Bairnsdale - Melbourne return 280km" or "Accommodation Melbourne Radisson Hotel 1 night $120"Total reimbursement $ amountBank account name for reimbursementBank Account BSB Number (branch number)Bank Account NumberReceipt/s attached

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I am representing the following Network/sI am representing the following Historical Society/iesUpload your receipts hereMax. file size: 128 MB.

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CATALOGUING CLINICS 2024
2024-07-25 11:00 - 12:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
Join Jillian Hiscock, the RHSV Collections Manager, each month in this informative and easy-going Zoom forum on all aspects of cataloguing collections for historical societies.
Jillian has a different topic each month and is happy to be guided by those who attend as to what they would like covered in upcoming clinics. Bring your questions (no matter the topic) – this is an interactive space where questions are encouraged. The RHSV does not endorse any particular cataloguing software – we believe it is horses for courses – and Jillian will talk about issues that impact on cataloguing whether you are using cataloguing cards or software.
The one-hour clinics are free and the Zoom log-in below is used every month in 2024, however, we do ask you to register each month as this enables Jillian to send you extra material / links etc after each session.
The remaining Cataloguing Clinics in 2024 will be held at

Thu 25 Jul 11am – 12noon (AEST)
Thu 22 Aug 11am – 12noon (AEST)
Thu 26 Sep 11am – 12noon (AEST)
Thu 24 Oct 11am – 12noon (AEDT)
Thu 28 Nov 11am – 12noon (AEDT)

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Monthly: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZYqcO-hqD8uH92SLyLFy8RywYTvMs4EraaZ/ics?icsToken=[REDACTED]
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 827 7696 4459
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Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdh0GPiJW

Rare Book Week: Rare Book and Materials Collecting in Libraries
2024-07-24 18:30 - 19:30 | Prahran Mechanics Institute, 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC, 3181, Australia
Past, present and future
Facilitator: Judith Elllis. Panelists: Ellen Coates, Jillian Hiscock and Anne Holloway
Join experts from PMI Victorian History Library, Royal Historical Society of Victoria and Monash University in a panel discussion of how libraries collect rare books, what we do with them, how we make them accessible and collecting rare materials into the future. See behind the scenes and uncover the stories and treasures that go into shaping our rare book collections today and into the future. The event concludes with a Q&A session.
Wednesday 24th July, 6.30-7.30pm
Presented by PMI Victorian History Library
39 St. Edmonds Road, Prahran
Click here to register
This event is part of Rare Book Week.
You can access the full program here.

Rare Book and Materials Collecting in Libraries: past, present and future.
2024-07-24 18:30 - 19:30 | 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC 3181, 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC, 3181, Australia
📜 Rare Book and Materials Collecting in Libraries: past, present and future.
Join Ellen Coates (PMI Victorian History Library – Collections Librarian and Volunteer Coordinator), Jillian Hiscock (Royal Historical Society of Victoria – Collections Manager and Volunteer Coordinator) and Anne Holloway (Monash University – Manager of Special Collections) in a panel discussion of how libraries collect rare books, what we do with them, how we make them accessible and collecting rare materials into the future.
The discussion will be facilitated by Judith Ellis PMI Library President and retired archivist. Come along to the fascinating opportunity to see behind the scenes of rare book collecting in libraries and uncover the stories and treasures that go into shaping our rare book collection today and into the future. There will be time to ask questions of the panel too.
Bookings are essential with a gold coin for entry.

Rare Book Week: North Melbourne Ghost Signs
2024-07-24 18:00 - 19:00 | Victorian Archives Centre, 99 Shiel Street, North Melbourne, VIC, 3051, Australia
Cultural archaeology in Haunted Hotham
Speaker: Sean Reynolds
You’ve likely stumbled upon them, roaming the winding streets of North Melbourne—ghost signs, those timeworn remnants of advertisements past, keepers of tales hidden in plain sight.
Join Sean, the madcap maestro behind the Instagram cult-hit ‘Melbourne Ghost Signs’, for a night drenched in stories, histories and mysteries. Rendezvous with the Sartorial Sultan of Errol Street; gawk at the ludicrous matrimony of milk & cigarettes; and unravel the cryptic enigma of a “cultural archaeologist”.
Wednesday 24th July, 6-7pm
Presented by Public Records Office Victoria
Victorian Archives Centre, 99 Shiel Street, North Melbourne
This event will also be live-streamed.
Click here to register
This event is part of Rare Book Week.
You can access the full program here.

Rare Book Week: E.W. Cole and his Book Arcade
2024-07-24 12:00 - 17:00 | State Library of Victoria, Entry 3, Village Roadshow Theatre, La Trobe Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
Presented by Jodi Kok
A look at the life and exploits of E.W. Cole, creator of Cole’s Funny Picture Book and owner of the famous Cole’s Book Arcade. Cole was a canny businessman, a visionary, and a true believer in everyone having the right to access books. We will take a look at some treasures from the Library’s collection to learn more about Cole himself and what was once hailed ‘the grandest bookshop in the world’.
Wednesday 24th July, Two sessions: 12:00-12:45pm and 5:00-5:45pm
Presented by State Library Victoria in the Collection Viewing room
328 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Meet at the Swanston Street Welcome Zone
Click here to register
This event is part of Rare Book Week.
You can access the full program here.

Family History Workshops
2024-07-24 10:30 - 14:00, 2024-06-26 10:30 - 14:00 | 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC 3181, 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC, 3181, Australia
👩🏽‍👩🏽‍👦🏽‍👦🏽 Family History Workshops hosted by Wendy Eldridge from our Friends of the Library.
Do you want some guided help with your family history journey? We can help. Join a friendly and supportive environment while making use of the many resources available at the PMI Victorian History Library.
Our workshops will cover:
28 Feb – What you need to know what you Get Started
24 Apr – What Beginners should do
26 Jun – Special Guest – Heather Arnold
28 Aug – Doing your family history using Ancestry
30 Oct – Doing your family history using Ancestry / Understanding Military Records and Resources
Bookings are essential.

Rare Book Week: Sands and McDougall Directories for Use and Amusement
2024-07-23 18:00 - 19:30 | East Melbourne Library, 122 George St, East Melbourne, VIC, 3002, Australia
Speaker: Fiona Campbell
What are the Sands and McDougall directories? These often-massive volumes were produced from 1857 to 1974 and are an invaluable resource for local and family history research. Find out how you can access and use them for your research, and enjoy some of their more entertaining aspects, with local history librarian, Fiona Campbell.
Tuesday 23rd July, 6-7pm
Presented by City of Melbourne Libraries at East Melbourne Library
Meeting room, Level 1, 122 George Street East Melbourne
Click here to register
This event is part of Rare Book Week.
You can access the full program here.

Some Rambles with the Campbells
2024-07-23 14:00 - 15:00 | 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC 3181, 39 St Edmonds Road, Prahran, VIC, 3181, Australia
Some rambles with the Campbells – The life and times of Western District pastoralist politician, and Anglican vicar, Colin Campbell (1817-1903) and his family.
This talk with Dr. Ian Clark will cover Colin Campbell and his wife Frances Campbell (née McWhirter) and their relationship with the Djabwurrung Aboriginal people of the Buangor district. Colin Campbell actively supported missionary efforts to improve the living conditions of Aboriginal people and when the Victorian government sought to introduce a system of local guardians to distribute rations and supplies to Aboriginal people in their districts and correspond with the government on their circumstances, he willingly became the local guardian in the Buangor district.
This will be an online event, so a stable internet connection is necessary. Bookings are essential.

In Search of the Last Continent: Melbourne and early Antarctic exploration
2024-07-23 12:30 - 13:30 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
In 1886 gentlemen from Victoria’s Royal Society and Geographical Society formed a joint Australian Antarctic Exploration Committee. With the ear of the Premier and his Agent General in London, they energetically pursued a joint whaling and scientific expedition. They came tantalising close to their goal and helped inspire the first landing and the first overwintering on the Antarctic continent. Through both published and unpublished items from the RHSV, join librarian and author Andrew McConville to explore this and other stories of early Antarctic exploration.
For 70 years powerful countries despatched expeditions to explore the south polar regions. By 1843 they had seen enough to realise that this most remote and impenetrable place offered considerable danger and no strategic or economic benefit. The great nations turned away. In the 1880s Melbourne’s men of science formed a committee to revive interest in Antarctic exploration. They canvassed the colonies and the world in attempts to raise an expedition. Ultimately unsuccessful, they did though inspire the first publicly recorded landing on the Antarctic continent by Henrik Bull and the crew of his whaling expedition. This created a sensation and led to the first overwintering on the Antarctic continent by crewman C.E. Borchgrevink’s expedition. Andrew McConville’s book, In Search of the Last Continent: Australia and Early Antarctic Exploration, outlines early Antarctic exploration and concentrates on Melbourne’s Antarctic Exploration Committee and the voyages of Bull and Borchgrevink.

Andrew McConville is a reference and research librarian at the State Library of Victoria. Andrew has a particular interest in the history of 19th century Antarctic exploration.

This event is part of the 2024 Rare Book Week program together with the Ephemera Society of Australia’s event on Antarctic ephemera which is held at the RHSV on the same day at 11am.
Morning tea will be served to those attending both events at 12 noon. Audience members are more than welcome to bring lunch and drinks into the gallery whilst attending these events.

EPHEMERA SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA: IT’S COLD AND OLD AND RARER THAN GOLD
2024-07-23 11:00 - 12:00 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
Bookings: https://ephemerasociety.org.au/category/whats-on/
Tony Shields has been a stamp and coin dealer since 1970. Every day he handles wonderful pieces of history and art which he researches and loves. Since childhood, he has been fascinated by the stories of Scott and Mawson in the Antarctic and has sought stamps and other items depicting the experiences of these incredible explorers. Come and share Tony’s enthusiasm and knowledge of collectables from the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration, 1820-1921.

Housekeeping
This event is part of the 2024 Rare Book Week program together with the RHSV’s event, IN SEARCH OF THE LAST CONTINENT: MELBOURNE AND EARLY ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION with Andrew McConville Both events are held on Tuesday 23 July, back to back, with morning tea served between the two events from 12 noon to 12:30pm.
Both events are ‘in person’ only – there is no Zoom presentation available.
Audience members are more than welcome to bring lunch and drinks into the gallery whilst attending these events.

Rare Book Week: Olympic Treasures in the Melbourne Cricket Club Library
2024-07-22 15:00 - 16:00 | Melbourne Cricket Ground
In September 2023, the MCC Library celebrated its 150th anniversary. To mark this milestone, 150 items were selected from the collection, to be rotated as part of a special display throughout the year. During Melbourne Rare Book Week, the chosen items will all feature the Olympic Games, to coincide with the 2024 Paris Games opening on Friday 26 July. Small groups will be given special guided access to the exhibition on three days.
Guides: David Studham and Trevor Ruddell
Monday 22, Tuesday 23 and Thursday 25 July @ 3-4pm
Level 3, Members Stand, Melbourne Cricket Ground (Entry next to Gate 2)
Presented by the Melbourne Cricket Club Library
Click here to register
This event is part of Rare Book Week.
You can access the full program here.

Labassa Open Day
2024-07-21 10:30 - 16:00 | Labassa, 2 Manor Grove, Caulfield North, Victoria, 3161, Australia
Experience the complex richness of Labassa’s architectural and human history. Although more than 700 people have lived at Labassa, it has miraculously survived with most of its opulent Victorian era decoration intact.
Guided house tours and tower tours operate through out the day, and the tea room is open 10.30am to 3.30pm.
Join us for a guided tour or opt for a self-guided tour. Please arrive at least 15 minutes before your intended guided tour time. Capacity will be monitored on the day.
Guided Tour Times:
11am: Interior House Tour
12pm: ‘Who’s been living in this house?’ Tour (Note: this tour goes upstairs)
1pm: Exterior tour
2pm: Interior House Tour
3pm: Interior House Tour
Tower tours:
10:45am
11.45am
12.45pm
1.45pm
2.45pm
3.45pm
The tower will be open with a limit of 12 people per tour group. Due to the tower’s narrow, steep steps visitors are advised to wear sensible shoes.
Tea room available: 10.30am – 3.30pm

Rare Book Week: The Mysteries and Mayhem of Early Melbourne
2024-07-20 12:00 - 13:00 | Level 1, 188 Collins Street Melbourne VIC 3000, Level 1, 188 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
Speakers: Jane Sullivan and Lucy Sussex
Melbourne has always had its underbelly of crime, inspiring crime fiction detectives from Mary Fortune and Fergus Hume to Peter Temple’s ‘Jack Irish’. Join Jane, whose latest novel Murder in Punch Lane, is a thriller inspired by real events and people in 1868 Melbourne, and Lucy, who in 2025 will publish Outrageous Fortunes, a co-written biography about crime-writer Mary Fortune and her criminal son George, in a conversation about the sins and secrets of the brash young 19th century goldfields city.
Presented by Rare Books Melbourne in partnership with The Melbourne Athenaeum Library
Saturday 20th July, 12-1pm
Level 1, 188 Collins Street Melbourne
Click here to register
This event is part of Rare Book Week.
You can access the full program here.

Incinerator History Tours
2024-07-20 11:00 - 12:00 | Incinerator Gallery, 180 Holmes Road, Aberfeldie, VIC, 3045, Australia
Discover the captivating history of the Essendon incinerator on our monthly volunteer-led history tour.
Strategically located near parkland and residences, this iconic structure emerged in 1929, revolutionising waste disposal was designed by the offices of visionary architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin.
Join us as our knowledgeable guides unveil the ‘Destructor’s’ transformative journey, from waste disposal facility to council depot, to a performing arts venue and now Incinerator Gallery. Immerse yourself in the essence of Griffin’s design ethos and explore a bygone era where sanitation and aesthetics converged. Don’t miss the chance to delve into this historic gem’s narrative on our engaging monthly tours.
History Tours are presented at Incinerator Gallery and run from 11 am to 12 noon.

Rare Book Week: ‘Good price, reliable recipes, great photos’
2024-07-19 11:00 - 12:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
Australian Women’s Weekly cookbooks and their influence on Australian food culture
Speaker: Dr Lauren Samuelsson
The Australian Women’s Weekly’scookbooks were (and still are) remarkably popular. The Weekly, Australia’s most popular women’s magazine, started publishing a range of cookbooks from the late 1930s, but it was during the 1970s when their cookbooks became incredibly popular. Many of the Weekly’s cookbooks, whether the Children’s Birthday Cake Book or the Chinese Cooking Class Cookbook, have become ‘bibles’ in the Australian kitchen. This talk will investigate how these books came to be, why they were so popular, and how they helped shape Australia’s food culture.
Presented by The Old Treasury Building
This is a ZOOM online event only
Friday 19th July, 11am – 12pm
Click here to register

This event is part of Rare Book Week.
You can access the full program here.

Zoom lecture: Gardens and land management in Western Victoria
2024-07-09 18:00 - 20:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
Zoom lecture: Gardens and land management in Western Victoria
Winter online zoom lecture by Dr Raymond Madden, Senior Lecturer, Anthropologist, in the School of Social Sciences, La Trobe University
James Dawson, (1806-1900), was a prominent pastoralist in the colonial history of western Victoria. In 1881 he published, ‘ Australian Aborigines: The Languages and Customs of Several Tribes of Aborigines in the Western District of Victoria’. This lecture will outline Dawson’s knowledge, respect and advocacy for Aboriginal people and his appreciation of their land management or ‘gardening’ skills. He was also a good friend of the colonial artist Eugene von Guerard, who often stayed with Dawson at his properties Kangatong and Wuurong, on his various sojourns into the western district regions. Dawson was also very aware of the imminent denuding of the Tower Hill landscape, leading to the commissioning of Guerard to capture it in his famous painting. This ties in with the spring bus trip in November.

Presented by: Victorian branch – Australian Garden History Society
Cost: $10 members AGHS, $10 Friends RBG, $15 non-members
When: 9th July, 6pm
Location: A Zoom link will be provided with reminder email before the session.
Book: at https://www.trybooking.com/CRVMG

AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM: MARITIME HERITAGE MATTERS FOR THIS VAST ISLAND CONTINENT
2024-07-02 17:00 - 19:00 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
The Melbourne Maritime Heritage Network is presenting this fascinating lecture at the RHSV.
Speaker: Daryl Karp, Australian National Maritime Museum’s Director and CEO
Ms Karp has worked in the broadcast and cultural industries for over 20 years. Prior to her appointment as Director and CEO of ANMM, she was the Director of the Museum of Australian Democracy (MoAD) at Old Parliament House from 2013 to 2022 establishing a strategic direction that focused on ‘the spirit of Australian democracy and the power of your voice within it’, Chair of the Council of Australasian Museum Directors from 2017 to 2021; CEO and Managing Director of Film Australia; Head of Factual Programs (Television) at the ABC; Non-Executive Director for SBS; Board member of Sydney Jewish Museum and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation and is a current member of the Yindyamarra Advisory Group with Charles Sturt University.
Housekeeping
The lecture will run from 6pm until 7pm (also the timing for Zoom). Refreshments will be served in the Drill Hall from 5pm – 6pm.
This is a hybrid event, available in person and on ZOOM for those who cannot attend at the Drill Hall. The ZOOM log-in will be sent to those who RSVP 24 hours before the event.
When you book a ticket you will be sent an automatically-generated confirmation email – if this doesn’t arrive in your in-box please check your Spam or Junk Mail folder.

The Value of Local History - Into the Future 2024 Conference
2024-06-29 09:00 - 17:00 | Lilydale Lakeside Conference Centre, 1 Jarlo Drive, Lilydale, VIC, 3140, Australia
The Association of Eastern Historical Societies presents
The Value of Local History – Into the Future 2024 Conference
Saturday 29 June 2024
9am-5pm
Lilydale Lakeside Conference Centre
1 Jarlo Drive, Lilydale
Speakers include:

Bryan Kalms- Keynote
Richard Broome
Anthony McAleer
Rosalie Trioli
Janice Newton
John Peterson
Graeme Davison
Val Polley
Patrick Ferry – NAA
David Taylor – PROV
Kitty Owens – Yarra Ranges Regional Museum
Christine Barker Byrnes/Chris Byrnes – Malmsbury Historical Society
Jackie Fraser – Victorian Collections

For more information: associationofeasternhistorical@gmail.com
To book tickets: https://www.trybooking.com/CQJSC

Association of Eastern Historical Societies - Conference
2024-06-29 | Lilydale Lakeside Conference Centre, 1 Jarlo Drive, Lilydale, VIC, 3140, Australia
May we have our conference advertised again please?
The Value of Local History- Into the Future will be held on June 29 at Lilydale Lakeside conference centre
The all day program aims to inspire local history groups to consider ways to survive and grow in the coming years.

The Value of Local History- Into the Future
2024-06-29 | Lilydale Lakeside Conference Centre, 1 Jarlo Drive, Lilydale, VIC, 3140, Australia
Conference held by Association of Eastern Historical Societies

HCV Book+Author seminar series: Science and Power in the Nineteenth-Century Tasman World
2024-06-27 18:00 - 19:00 | The Wheeler Centre, 176 Little Londsale Street, Melbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia
In the History Council of Victoria’s third Book+Author event for the year, we will be joined by Alexandra Roginski, Melbourne-based historian, writer and heritage worker and Visiting Fellow of Deakin University, who will be discussing her fascinating new book in conversation with convenor Dr Yves Rees. Alexandra completed her PhD at the ANU in 2018 and her work focuses on ideas and practices of the body, past and present. Science and Power in the Nineteenth-Century Tasman World is Alexandra’s second book, and explores the contentious science of phrenology, which once promised insight into character and intellect through external ‘reading’ of the head. In the transforming settler-colonial landscapes of nineteenth-century Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, popular phrenologists – figures who often hailed from the margins – performed their science of touch and cranial jargon everywhere from mechanics’ institutions to public houses. In this compelling work, Alexandra Roginski recounts a history of this everyday practice, exploring how it featured in the fates of people living in, and moving through, the Tasman World.
Time/date: Thursday 27 June, 6pm-7pm
Where: The Wheeler Centre, State Library of Victoria, Melbourne CBD

BOOK HERE

CATALOGUING CLINICS 2024
2024-06-27 11:00 - 12:00 | ZOOM, Join from anywhere in the world
Join Jillian Hiscock, the RHSV Collections Manager, each month in this informative and easy-going Zoom forum on all aspects of cataloguing collections for historical societies.
Jillian has a different topic each month and is happy to be guided by those who attend as to what they would like covered in upcoming clinics. Bring your questions (no matter the topic) – this is an interactive space where questions are encouraged. The RHSV does not endorse any particular cataloguing software – we believe it is horses for courses – and Jillian will talk about issues that impact on cataloguing whether you are using cataloguing cards or software.
The one-hour clinics are free and the Zoom log-in below is used every month in 2024, however, we do ask you to register each month as this enables Jillian to send you extra material / links etc after each session.
The remaining Cataloguing Clinics in 2024 will be held at

Thu 27 Jun 11am – 12noon (AEST)
Thu 25 Jul 11am – 12noon (AEST)
Thu 22 Aug 11am – 12noon (AEST)
Thu 26 Sep 11am – 12noon (AEST)
Thu 24 Oct 11am – 12noon (AEDT)
Thu 28 Nov 11am – 12noon (AEDT)

Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Monthly: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/tZYqcO-hqD8uH92SLyLFy8RywYTvMs4EraaZ/ics?icsToken=[REDACTED]
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82776964459?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 827 7696 4459
Passcode: [REDACTED]
If joining by phone:
One tap mobile
+61370182005,,82776964459#,,,,*[REDACTED]# Australia
+61731853730,,82776964459#,,,,*[REDACTED]# Australia
Dial by your location
• +61 3 7018 2005 Australia
• +61 7 3185 3730 Australia
• +61 8 6119 3900 Australia
• +61 8 7150 1149 Australia
• +61 2 8015 6011 Australia
Meeting ID: 827 7696 4459
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdh0GPiJW

CURATOR'S TOUR OF MELBOURNE'S STORIED LANEWAYS WITH DAVID THOMPSON
2024-06-26 11:00 - 12:00 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
David Thompson will take you behind the scenes of our current exhibition, Melbourne’s Storied Laneways which David curated. The exhibition was prompted by the upcoming publication of The Story of Melbourne’s Lanes: Essential but Unplanned by Weston Bate, Richard Broome, Nicole Davis, Andrew J. May, Helen Stitt which will be launched on 3rd October 2024.
We all have our favourite Melbourne laneway and curator David Thompson has chosen a handful of lanes which reveal intriguing Melbourne stories. When we think of today’s gussied-up, tourist-friendly laneways like Guilford Lane and Hosier Lane, it is hard to imagine that a mere 50 years ago the laneways were workaday places full still of small factories and light industry.
Other dates available:
28 August
25 September
9 October

The Yallourn Scheme : Celebrating 100 years of Power Generation
2024-06-20 17:30 - 19:00 | RHSV Gallery Downstairs, 239 A'Beckett St, Melbourne, Victoria, 3000, Australia
Engineering Heritage Victoria and the RHSV present this event to celebrate the centenary of Victoria’s first baseload power station in the Latrobe Valley and the greatest single public infrastructure project the nation had seen.

Passing without fanfare or public ceremony, at midday on Sunday 15 June 1924, electricity from the new Yallourn Power Station first reached Melbourne when the State Electricity Commission switched on the high voltage transmission line linking Morwell and the Yarraville distribution terminal. The event marked the culmination of a five-year project to develop Victoria’s first baseload power station in the Latrobe Valley and the greatest single public infrastructure project the nation had seen. It was proclaimed by the press as “the cessation of Victoria’s subservience … to the coal mines of Newcastle”, and would provide the foundation for the State’s industrial, economic and social prosperity over the following decades.
This presentation will outline the key events in the development of the Yallourn Power Scheme, touching on the historic context, key engineers involved and some of the technical challenges encountered from conception through to commissioning and early operation. The talk will be illustrated by historic images from the extensive photographic collection acquired in 1993 by the Museum of Victoria from the former State Electricity Commission, prior to its disaggregation and privatisation.
Speaker:
Matthew Churchward, Senior Curator, Engineering & Transport, Museums Victoria
After originally training in mechanical engineering, Matthew Churchward has spent much of the past 35 years in the museum and heritage sector. He has held a curatorial role with Museums Victoria since 1994, working on acquisitions, collection database development, public programs, exhibitions and the creation of websites and online content.
His engineering skills have proved invaluable in overseeing the restoration and conservation of many large objects in the museum’s collection – ranging from steam engines, tractors and farm machinery to horse-drawn vehicles, motor vehicles and the Great Melbourne Telescope.
His research interests encompass Victoria’s mining, engineering and transport history – including shipping, railways, roads, bridges, ports, sewerage, water supply and electricity infrastructure.

This will be preceded by an
Open Day at PowerWorks,
Ridge Road, Morwell.
Sat 15 Jun 2024 12 noon to 3.00 pm
“Celebration of the centenary of power transmission between Yallourn and Melbourne”.
In collaboration with Energy Australia.
Housekeeping
When you book tickets you will be sent an automatic, system-generated confirmation email with your tickets. If this can’t be found in your in-box please check your Spam folder or Junk Mail folder as these system-generated emails often go astray. If you can’t find your tickets, don’t panic, we always have a list at the door.
As with most RHSV events, we will serve refreshments from 5:30pm – 6pm when the lecture starts.
The Zoom-cast will begin at 6pm.
